The Hyundai driver was four minutes late to the start of stage six after struggling to fire up his i20 N, incurring a 40-second penalty.
It resulted in the Belgian dropping behind Toyota’s Elfyn Evans on the road order, effectively making the latter face the worst of the conditions on the snow covered roads.
Evans initially suspected foul play at the end of stage stating, “I guess the spirit of competition has gone out of the window. Let’s wait to cast judgement on that before we say something we regret.”
Evans lost time to Neuville across the following three stages and ultimately ended the day in fifth overall, 1m50.0s behind leader Hyundai’s Esapekka Lappi, having held third spot before the start of stage six.
Speaking to media, Neuville confirmed that he was suffering from a genuine fuel pressure issue and refuted suggestions of deploying a strategic move.
“There was a problem and there still is a problem to be honest,” said Neuville.
Source: Autosport